Av8r3400

The jaws on the Comfort Ride hitch failed. 

One of the nicest in the community, Brett.

Chris - sorry to hear about your dog.  😓

On 5/23/2018 at 6:18 PM, PaHunter said:

Fort Chiswell RV park.

First trip out with the big truck?

My truck must be the exception to the rules.  I get 9-10 bobtail or towing the 5er.  It doesn't seem to make much difference.  

My LGT Dodge Cummins gets about 18 empty and 7 towing the 5er. 

I was doing windshields at a local trucking company the other day and one of the drivers was showing his dash cam footage of a wreck (which he said happened somewhere in Texas).

It was another semi truck traveling in the far right lane where traffic was backing up on the off ramps, he managed to plow into 9 stopped vehicles (while texting).  Several fatalities and many serious injuries.

There's lots of bad drivers out there...

Base camp established...

We will be heading out to Oshkosh (Wisconsin) this Friday.  DW driving the rig and I will fly the plane to Airventure for 11 days.

Fuse block on the left is on a relay from key switch power.  I have it on a 50 fuse.  

Terminal box on the left has the truck factory harness entering it.

7 wire cable runs from this strip into the Jackaloppe on the truck side.  Any 7wire cable will work.  The colors are the same- commercial truck or RV- they just go to different functions.

The wiring leaves the Jackaloppe and goes to the right most terminal strip, and continues thru to the rear of the truck.

Purpose is to isolate parts of the system if the need arises.

The middle terminal strip is currently empty in the pics.  It is now used as a bridge to run extra lights from the truck system.  Easy way to add a 3rd brake light, mirror turn signals, etc.

The fuse block supplies power to the Jackaloppe, Hayes brake controller I currently use, and I have a USB plug strip it powers up on the dash for charging phones etc.

I bought 3 of these https://www.lowes.com/ pd/Gampak-2-in-NM-SE- Connector/1100137 in 1" to route cable and wire in and out of the compartment.

 

38 minutes ago, Big5er said:

Okay, I get that it is "pretty" but I still don't understand the "why". My jackalopee (now that I moved it someplace where the waterproof box doesn't fill with water) has one nice big black cable running in and one nice big black cable running out. The factory cable runs in and my cable runs out, all the way to the plug for the trailer. I'm just a dumb old redneck. But what is the need/reason for the added wiring terminal blocks? I also don't understand all those exposed connections. Looks like a short waiting to happen, unless you keep that compartment totally empty.

The sub boxes allow for additional wires for more lights to be easily added if needed later. 

These boxes also have clear covers, protecting the terminal blocks, which are not shown in the photos. 

You our do make a valid point, Phil, that the added complexity is not necessary. I may not put the sub-box on the input side but I definitely see the advantage on the output side. 

Photos reposted from the other thread:

I don't want to offend Allan, but I saved these photos to my local computer and plan to replicate this setup in my truck.  I hope it turns out half as neat and organized...

Phil, that was downright painful...

Looks great!

Hope to follow your example someday soon...

Can you share any photos of your project?  How did you license it, motorhome, commercial truck or other?  I assume you maintain a CDL to operate it?

Thank you.

The info about the Kubota warranty calling for prepayment is wrong. Theirs is a warranty like all others. Covered repairs are paid for by Kubota. If the dealer is requiring pre-payment, they are operating out of the norm and should be reported to Kubota.

I'm not a Deere fan. You pay a lot of money for the name and green paint. They seem to be over engineered and often far more complex than they need to be, even their basic tractors.

All of this being said, the dealer is the most important part of the transaction. You need to be comfortable with them first. The tractor/vehicle second.

I have a 2005 Kubota L3400 (note my handle). It is a basic gear driven, 34 hp tractor with loader. Simple and rugged. In the 12 years I've owned it, I have never had a problem with it. I would buy it again (maybe with a cab...). I use it to maintain my 1/2 mile driveway, snow removal and brush cutting.

When I bought it, I asked about putting a backhoe on it in the future. The dealer told me not to waste my time. For the cost of a BH, I could rent a mini-excavator many, many times and get a lot more done. From first hand experience, in the mean time, I have confirmed that opinion. A small tractor BH is lacking in every aspect compared to a mini-excavator. The $10,000 cost of a BH will rent an excavator for many, many hours.

That, rick, is a hell of a good looking rig! That is just what I'm looking for, too. A short 630 (610) with room for a scooter on the back. Only I'd have to find an iShifter...